Boss Of The Week
Encomiums As God’s General, Enoch Adeboye Celebrates 81
By Eric Elezuo
Not a few across religious divide considers Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye as one of the world’s greatest living preachers. Better known as Daddy G.O, Adeboye is the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Worldwide, with headquarters in Lagos, Nigeria. The respect he has garnered over the years while overseeing Nigeria’s largest church, even before being bestowed with the G.O honours has remained overwhelming and growing.
Humble, soft-spoken and deliberately reachable, Pastor Adeboye as he is simply addressed is celebrating four score and one years on the surface of the earth, and is glorious elated, giving glory to the Almighty God, whose steadfast love, overbearing protection and privileged attention have sustained him this far.
Highly elated and full of heartfelt thanksgiving, the Man of God, who is known for his prophetic entry of My Daddy Says, took to his official social media platform to share beautiful photos with a caption ‘More than 81 reasons to thank God’.
Pastor Adeboye, also known with his cliche of ‘somebody shout alleluia’ became General Overseer of the RCCG in 1981. And for three years, he performed the role part-time before giving up his university position to go into full-time gospel ministration. A position he has used to selflessly affect humanity, and prosper the gospel company. He is also a known philanthropist, who has used his God-given wealth to look after God’s irrespective of creed and leaning. Recall that in 2022 while celebrating his 80th birthday, Adeboye, through his foundation, donated eight dialysis machines to Wuse District Hospital, together with a reverse osmosis medical water purification system and an electrical generator.
Consequently, as a mark of deserved respect, people from all walks of life including President Muhammadu Buhari and President-elect, Bola Tinubu, has been sending in their encomiums to the whose loyal to God and love for fellow human beings have remained a case study.
I REMAIN GRATEFUL FOR YOUR FRIENDLINESS AND WISE COUNSELS – PRESIDENT BUHARI
President Muhammadu Buhari joined leaders and members of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in celebrating Pastor Enoch Adeboye, on his 81st birthday.
In a congratulatory message by his spokesman, Femi Adesina, Buhari rejoiced with the religious leader, who left his academic career to fully commit to serving the Lord.
The president equally felicitated family, friends and other church leaders within and outside the country, thankful for Mr Adeboye’s positive influence on people and institutions, with a focus on expanding the kingdom of God on earth.
While recalling the visits and prayers, especially when he was ill and recuperating, Mr Buhari said he remained grateful for the friendliness and wise counsels of the general overseer over many years.
The president prayed that the God would continue to bless and guide Mr Adeboye and his family.
YOU ARE AN EXEMPLARY MODEL – PRESIDENT-ELECT TINUBU
President-elect Bola Tinubu also sent a special birthday goodwill message to Pastor Enoch Adeboye. The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, regarded as the largest pentecostal church worldwide, clocked 82 today. The former Lagos State governor’s media adviser, Tunde Rahman issued a statement, praising the influential cleric.
Tinubu noted that Adeboye has been a tremendous blessing to Nigeria, Africa and the world with his ministerial work as a preacher and leader. He recalled their relationship since his time as governor and how the annual Lagos State Thanksgiving Service started then. Tinubu said Adeboye has been “an exemplary model” whose teachings and counsel have continued to moderate and stabilise the country. He wished the clergyman many glorious years in the service of God and the unfailing service to humanity.
Many goodwill messages have also flown from notable preachers, who have been inspired and mentored by Adeboye. Some of them are Bishop David Oyedepo of the Living Faith Church aka Winners Chapel, Pastor David Ibiyeomie of the Salvation Ministries among others.
Intelregion also recorded the Fans and followers, who lent their voices to celebrate the man of God on his birthday. Some of the are:
@fun96678389 said, “Happy birthday Papa Adeboye, thank you for saying ‘yes’ to the calling, and teaching us the word in the most simplified and relatable ways, accompanied by your beautiful stories to make it even more relatable. May you continue to grow in strength and wisdom, and May God groom several of us to eventually follow in your path.”
@jonatdot said, “Happy birthday sir. So much to thank God for on your behalf. Thank you sir for all you have enabled God used you for and still yielding to Him to use you for. More grace to finish strong in the mighty name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.”
@DrTFarombi said, “Happy birthday to you daddy. You have fed and nurtured us with the word of God. You have demonstrated Christianity in such a simple way. Your life has brought nations to Christ. We pray as your days are so shall your strength be. God bless you sir.”
@Graciee48087713 said, “Happy birthday daddy. Thank you so much for yielding to God and for being a voice in our Generation and life.I pray may you never miss your crown of Glory.God bless you DADDY SIR…”
@amoo_lanre said, “Happy Birthday to you Daddy. You shall finish well and strong in the Lord in Jesus name. You shall always be relevant in the Kingdom of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Congratulations sir.”
According to Wikipedia, Enoch Adejare Adeboye was born into a very humble family on March 2, 1942 in Ifewara, near Ife, Osun State .
He began his education at Ilesha Grammar School Ilesha Osun State in 1956 before proceeding to the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN). But because of the Nigeria Civil War, he completed his first degree in the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics in 1967. That same year, he married Foluke Adenike. They both have four children namely: Adeolu Adeboye, Bolu Adubi (née Adeboye), Dare Adeboye and Leke Adeboye. Dare died in 2021 at the age of 42. In 1969, he obtained a Master’s degree in Hydrodynamics from University of Lagos. In 1975, he obtained a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from the University of Lagos.
Adeboye joined the Redeemed Christian Church of God in 1973 and served as an interpreter before he was ordained a pastor in the church by Pa. Josiah Akindayomi in 1975. He became General Overseer of the church in 1981.
The church, which was not well known before Adeboye became the General Overseer, has branches in about 198 nations as at March 2017, including more than 14,000,000 worshipers in Nigeria. The man of God has stated that he aims to put a church within five minutes walking distance in developing cities and five minutes driving distance in developed cities.
He is considered a preacher of the prosperity gospel, a claim he does not deny, saying that “Pentecostals have such an impact because they talk of the here and now, not just the by and by… while we have to worry about heaven, there are some things God could do for us in the here and now.”
Following new legislation that placed limits on non-profit leadership to 20 years of service and less than 70 years of age, Pastor Adeboye resigned as General Overseer in 2017.
An author of repute, Adeboye has written several books, including:
- Open Heavens Daily Devotional
- Lessons from the Sower
- Christian Moderator
- Deadly Enemy of Man
- Divine Favour
- Kingdom Prosperity
- Fruits of the Spirit
- God of Wonders
- God’s Remembrance and Deliverance
- Prevailing Prayers
- The Wonder Working God
- Transitions
- Mathematics & Greatness
Adeboye has endowed four Nigerian universities, including Obafemi Awolowo University and the University of Nigeria. Among accolades trailing him are:
- 1 of the 50 most powerful people in the world by Newsweek (2008)
- One of the Top 100 most influential Africans by New African magazine in 2019.
Happy birthday sir, and may many more years of greater favour be your portion!
By Eric Elezuo
African originality is not in contest. It is evidenced in the prodigious achievements of the rank and file of citizens, who on a daily basis continue to churn out one great after another. Among the list of prolific achievers of Africa is the undisputable Eric Onyango Gumbo; a true African son of Kenyan origin.
Masterful, focused, determined and an all round goal-getter, Gumbo is a legal egghead, who is an Advocate of the Court of Kenya, with over 20 years of legal and advisory experience across Africa, in addition to being an entrepreneurial genius, whose chain of businesses and endeavours speak volume of the mettle he is made of.
Armed with a Bachelor’s degree in Law from Moi University, and a Post graduate Diploma in Law fro the Kenyan School of Law, Gumbo has added a lot of feathers to his cap of merit, including the Commissioner for Oaths, Notary Public and being a Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. He is one man, who knows his onions in the legal profession, and has used his skills to project the Kenyan justice system as well as project the African continent in the positive legal limelight.
Gumbo is the Managing Partner of G & A (Gumbo and Associates) Advocates LLP, which he founded in 2006, and later established as a Limited Liability Partnership, G&A Advocates LLP, in 2017. And as a visionary leader, he was to expand the firm further to operate in both Nairobi and Eldoret with solid partnerships and collaboration with other leading law firms across Africa.
Beyond his qualification in the normative training of Law, Eric Gumbo has over the years, also enhanced and focused his practice of law in Dispute Resolution and Commercial Law. Towards deepening his training and experience within the two areas of practice, he has also undertaken and completed programs on Financial Markets from Yale University, Arbitration from the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (Kenya Branch) and Fintech Law and Policy from Duke University. He is currently undertaking a course in Green Business strategy from the Hongkong University of Science and Technology.
Gumbo is not the regular run-off-the-mill Advocate. In his career of over two decades, as an Advocate, he has successfully handled numerous highly sensitive matters according to the G and A website. Some of these include as copiously re-presented:
- As part of the team selected to advise and represent Kenya’s elections management body in all the three (3) Presidential Election Petitions filed in in the Supreme Court of Kenya. Acted as legal counsel for one of the state corporations in relation to a claim presented against the state corporation by a downstream affiliate of one of the multinational oil and gas companies where the value of the subject matter was in excess of US$ 45 Million.
- Advised and represented a leading electric power producer in a ground breaking transaction between it and the Government of Djibouti for drilling of three geothermal wells in Djibouti.
- Provided legal advisory and contracting support to a transport-sector state corporation which involved reviewing and drafting of commercial agreements, and negotiating of diverse aspects with various contracting parties in relation to one of the country’s flagship infrastructure projects.
- In the Public Private Partnership space, Gumbo is currently part of a team that is advising and representing one of the energy sector state corporations in relation to a claim filed before the Public-Private Partnership Petitions Committee in relation to a project valued in excess of US$ 320 Million.
- Gumbo also continues to act for diverse entities entrusted with the carrying out of various regulatory and independent constitutional mandates in sectors such as health, energy, telecommunication, education, trade, aviation, procurement, environment and natural resources, capital markets and financial services.
Gumbo is involved in numerous other activities beyond engaging in the actual practice of law.
In the first place, he currently serves as a Non-Executive Chairperson of the Legal Aid Centre for Eldoret (LACE), and also a Council Member representing the Law Society of Kenya in the Council for Legal Education (C.L.E). This is not excluding the fact that he is also a Board Member of the Kenya Re-Insurance Company Limited (Kenya Re), a public listed company.
Larger than life itself, Gumbo’s profile keeps expanding with mouthwatering appointments, requiring zeal, experience, gusto and can-do-attitude. Recently, he was appointed by His Excellency the President of Kenya, Willam Ruto, to serve as a member of the panel mandated to recruit the Auditor General for the Republic of Kenya, and has affiliations that enhance his proclivity to meritorious practice of law. Such affiliations include memberships of the Law Society of Kenya, the East Africa Law Society, Chartered Institute of Administrators and the Legal Aid Centre of Eldoret.
A seasoned legal counsel with over 20 years of experience across Africa, Gumbo has built a strong reputation in the legal industry, specializing in financial services, regulatory matters, advisory roles, commercial transactions, and dispute resolution. He is highly sought after as a consultant, and provides advisory services to both private and public sectors on high-stakes transactions and regulatory frameworks in banking, infrastructure development, energy, and ICT.
His website also described him as “A seasoned public speaker and thought leader, he actively contributes to legal reforms and policy discussions, particularly in financial engineering, electoral law, and governance,” and “has successfully led legal teams in significant sovereign finance transactions and complex cross-border projects, showcasing his expertise and commitment to advancing the legal landscape in Africa.”
Beyond consulting for the Kenyan government, Gumbo has proved his trans-border billing by offering generous consultations to the governments of Somaliland and Tanzania as well as corporate entities such as Rasmala Trade Finance Fund, Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa and Ardmore Capital Management LLC among others.
In addition to his many endeavours, which include advocacy and consultancy among others, Gumbo find time to engage in speaking Engagements as captured below:
● Presented a seminal paper on the recent developments in electoral law in Kenya to the Faculty of law Mount Kenya University of Kenya on 31st January, 2024.
● Presented a paper on the art of persuasion and legal drafting in a symposium organized by the Law Society of Kenya for advocates in private practice on the 9th June, 2023.
● Presented a paper on trial advocacy in a seminar for advocates in dispute resolution practice in Kenya on the 15th September, 2023.
● Presented a paper on employment law and practice in commercial banking institutions on the 29th November,2023.
Married with an enviable family of adorable children, Gumbo is a great sports enthusiast, with special bias to golf, which he plays voraciously. Golf, to him, is the next big time.
Africa needs Africans. African needs prolific Africans. Africa needs Eric Onyango Gumbo!
By Eric Elezuo
Beyond ancestral qualification, the newly crowned Owa Obokun of Ijeshaland, the 49th in the series, Oba Clement Adesuyi Haastrup, is a man of many parts; focused, capable, disciplined, fulfilled and down to earth. He is typically the product of what patience can produce, as his emergence was via the efforts of respected kingmakers of Ìjẹ̀ṣàland with a seal of approval by the State Governor, Ademola Adeleke. The process of emergence was grounded in the deep rooted traditions and values of the Yoruba culture.
Named as the paramount ruler in December, 2024, and crown substantive royal father on January 5, 2025, the former Deputy Governor of Osun State, has proved to be a good choice, bringing to bear his years of entrepreneurship and political sagacity to bring development and all round growth to his kingdom.
Addressed as His Imperial Majesty, Oba Looja Clement Adesuyi Haastrup, Owa Ajimoko III, the Owa Obokun Adimula and Paramount Ruler of Ìjẹ̀ṣàland, the oba launches into leadership with a combined flair of experience, vision, and dedication to service, which has steadily elevated the kingdom within a short period.
The Oba, by every standard, is not a run-of-the-mill monarch, he well trained and ground in not a few sectors of human endeavours. Not only was a former number two man of his state, he is a distinguished entrepreneur, and founder of ENL Consortium, one of the leading terminal operators in Nigeria, which under his stewardship, the company played crucial roles in the nation’s trade and logistics renewal. Beyond these, Haastrup is also a trained Pharmacist.
The new oba, who is celebrated for his academic excellence and dynamic leadership, replaced Oba Gabriel Adekunle Aromolaran II, who passed on recently.
With a legacy of public service, entrepreneurial success, and philanthropic dedication, Oba Haastrup’s enthronement heralds a new era for Ijesaland. As the Owa Obokun, his vision and leadership promise to transform Ijesaland into a beacon of unity, innovation, and prosperity. The people of Ijesaland eagerly anticipate the dawn of a brighter future under his reign.
Oba Haastrup’s reign is poised to deliver unity, prosperity, and a thriving future for the kingdom, ensuring that Ijeshaland remains a beacon of cultural heritage and progress in Nigeria and beyond.
The Dawn Commission, on its website, captures the trajectory of the disciplined oba as follows:
Prince Clement Adesuyi Haastrup was born on September 19, 1948, into the illustrious Ajimoko royal family of Ijesaland in Osun State, Nigeria. His upbringing was steeped in the values of service, discipline, and leadership that are hallmarks of his royal lineage. From an early age, he exhibited the qualities of a visionary, a trait further nurtured by his family’s deep cultural heritage and Christian faith.
Oba Haastrup’s academic journey laid the groundwork for his remarkable career. He attended Eko Boys’ High School in Lagos from 1963 to 1967, where he demonstrated an exceptional commitment to learning and leadership. He furthered his education at the Federal School of Science and later pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy at Howard University in Washington, D.C., graduating in 1974. Determined to expand his horizons, he spent several years in the United States, where he not only gained academic knowledge but also developed a global perspective and the discipline required for success.
Returning to Nigeria in 1981, Prince Haastrup immersed himself in public service. His political career gained prominence in 1990, when he was elected as the Deputy Governor of Osun State, serving under Governor Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke during the Third Republic.
In his capacity as Deputy Governor, Oba Haastrup championed significant reforms and spearheaded key initiatives that enhanced governance and public administration. His tenure saw him secure impactful public-private partnerships with federal agencies such as the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), and the Federal Housing Authority (FHA). These achievements solidified his reputation as a pragmatic and results-oriented leader, earning him widespread admiration and paving the way for his transition into the private sector.
After leaving public office in 1992, Prince Haastrup turned his attention to the business world, where he continued to make significant contributions to Nigeria’s economic development. In 2002, he founded ENL Consortium Limited, initially focusing on utility management. Recognizing opportunities in Nigeria’s maritime sector, he expanded ENL’s operations to include port management and infrastructure development.
In 2006, ENL Consortium, under his visionary leadership, secured the concession for Terminals C and D at the Apapa Port Complex in Lagos. These terminals, which handle both general and containerized cargoes, have set benchmarks for efficiency in port operations.
The company’s innovative approach included:
- Extensive rehabilitation of port infrastructure
- Deployment of cutting-edge equipment
- Introduction of labor reforms, which improved productivity and industrial harmony
Today, ENL Consortium operates one of the largest seaport facilities in West Africa, with 11 berths capable of handling between 9.7 and 11 meters of draft. The company has diversified into power generation, estate development, and hospitality, contributing to job creation and industrial growth in Nigeria.
Prince Haastrup’s contributions have earned him recognition as one of Nigeria’s foremost maritime magnates. His leadership in transforming port operations and enhancing transparency has positioned Nigerian ports as competitive global players. His efforts have not only improved Nigeria’s standing in the maritime industry but also generated significant revenue and fostered economic growth.
Through the Clement Adesuyi Haastrup Foundation (CAH Foundation), Oba Haastrup has impacted lives by awarding scholarships to over 500 students, enabling them to access higher education locally and internationally. His philanthropic initiatives extend to feeding the hungry and empowering the underprivileged, solidifying his reputation as a compassionate and community-orientated leader.
Oba Clement Adesuyi Haastrup emerged as the Owa Obokun of Ijeshaland following a meticulous selection process by the kingdom’s esteemed kingmakers. His selection was officially approved by Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State on December 27, 2024, after the passing of Oba Adekunle Aromolaran II on September 11, 2023.
The coronation ceremony, a grand and historic event graced by dignitaries from across Nigeria and beyond, included the presentation of the Staff of Office and Instrument of Appointment. This event marked the official commencement of his reign, accompanied by traditional rites, festivities, and cultural displays that highlighted the rich heritage of Ijesaland.
Oba Haastrup’s enthronement is a powerful blend of tradition and modernity. Building on the legacy of Oba Aromolaran II, who was renowned as the first Nigerian monarch to hold a Ph.D., Oba Haastrup brings a global perspective shaped by his illustrious career in governance and business. His leadership is underpinned by a vision to bring unity, prosperity, and innovation to Ijesaland.
Oba Haastrup’s reign is poised to usher in transformative change across the kingdom. Guided by decades of experience in governance and business, his priorities include:
- Agricultural Modernization: Promoting mechanized farming to enhance food production and create jobs.
- Infrastructure Development: Collaborating with stakeholders to improve roads, healthcare facilities, and schools.
- Economic Empowerment: Encouraging investment and entrepreneurship to drive local economic growth.
- Social Harmony: Fostering unity and resolving communal disputes to strengthen bonds within the community.
Oba Haastrup is married to Olori Vicky Haastrup, the Chairperson of the Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN). The oba and his olori are blessed with wonderful children.
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